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Tony Romo retired as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and now he’s a beloved football announcer, but this entry isn’t about word origins and I’ve now told you all I know about Romo’s football career. This is about style. He has plenty of that. An editorial in the New York Times today explores the value […]

Political talk is full of idioms. A politician is “over his skis” when he speaks out of turn and the TV pundits love to point it out. The first time, it’s a great metaphor, easily understood, even by those who’ve never tried the sport. He got ahead of himself and now he’s going to crash. […]

It’s the author’s nightmare: the reader opens the book with high hopes, but more likely than not, she never finishes the story. Research tracking reader behavior on ebooks confirms what writers have always suspected. Readers are ruthless in their judgments: men tend to quit reading after 30 to 50 pages, women after 50 to […]

A Cajun fishing guide served me the perfect dessert drink. Try it for New Year’s. Note: this is not the traditional bourbon or brandy version offered in New Orleans restaurants. You do need one special ingredient, “Praline” liqueur, a concoction with a pecan flavor. It’s worth a trip to Spec’s. For each serving: Mix all […]

No matter what else is going on in December, our friends know that the Revis girls will load a suburban full of wine and Cheetos and drive an hour out of town to play a forty-eight hour bridge tournament. Forty-eight hours? Really? Really. We can’t not do it. It’s a family tradition. It all started […]

Every café in Paris served a version of the irresistible “salade avec chevre chaud.” There are fancier versions with pastry crusts, and other additions, a few more veggies, or crispy lardons of smoked pork, or toasted almonds, but the basic version is delicious and simple to make at home. You just need to pay a […]

How to make the most of a trip to Paris? We travel for the same reason we read fiction: to expand our life experiences via the magical “what if …?” (What if my little sister were drafted to compete in The Hunger Games? What if I lived in Paris?) Fresh perspectives and new information are […]

Susanna, my protagonist, has spent some time in de Islands, where dinner is served on the veranda with a balmy breeze and a dessert that makes the guests want to lick the bowl. You can make this recipe for any number of diners. Ingredients per customer: ½ banana, sliced lengthwise, then in half (in the […]

Another mystery set in Houston, recommended by Sally Woods at Murder by the Book. This one is Amy Gentry’s debut novel. She’s a Houston native, now living in Austin, returning to sign her book at Murder by the Book on Friday, July 29, 2016 at 7:30 PM. I’ve already got my copy.

Another great thing about a university town: downtown Santa Cruz, CA has not one, but two fantastic bookstores within a block of each other. Take a look at www.bookshopsantacruz.com and www.logosbooksrecords.com.

About Shirley

For years I balanced the work/life tightrope, and now I’m celebrating the freedom – madly writing mysteries. My husband Bill and I both worked demanding schedules, and we moved to six different cities before landing back in Houston. Lucky for me, it wasn’t all work all the time.